Plainfield-Linden aftermath

– Plainfield played well on the defensive end, but wasted too many possessions by jacking up outside shots or throwing away passes in transition. The Cardinals could have seized an early lead but shanked four or five layups.

– Linden posted a 34-26 edge on the boards and hit the offensive glass hard, but the Tigers kept Plainfield in the game by hitting just 9-of-26 free throw attempts.

– Desmond Wade missed much of the game due to foul trouble but Darryl Lampley was just a madman, scoring 25 points and handling the ball superbly.

– Linden coach Phil Colicchio wore a bright orange sweatervest. When you coach as well as Phil does, I guess you can wear anything and pull it off.

– Linden clearly has the upper hand in this rivlary now. But remember last year, when Plainfield won the first two meetings and Linden turned the tables in the sectional finals. Could happen the other way this time — but the Cardinals have to get there first. They’ll have to play better than this just to have another shot.

– There were about 4,000 fans in the Dunn Center. Parking is just ridiculous there. Among the notables present were former Plainfield coach Del Harrison, now the head man at Felician College. Del has done a nice job at Felician, but his club got torched by former Cardinals protege Andre Dabney (Bloomfield College) for 37 points recently.

We also saw Tim Ortelli holding court with William Paterson’s Jose Rebimbas and former Kean skipper Bruce Hamburger — both guys with Seton Hall ties. Got to spend quality time with former Elizabeth girls coach Bob Firestone, which is always a treat. Also saw Scotch Plains coach Dan Doherty, our good friend and Roselle Catholic girls coach Joe Skrec, and what looked like the entire Somerville High School boys team.

UPCOMING ON HOOPS HAVEN:Thursday: My predictions and analysis for the Somerset, Hunterdon/Warren, Union and Middlesex County finals (also see our Hoop Doctors podcast, which is being taped at noon Thursday).Friday: An “ode” to the Continental Airlines Arena, which will be hosting a Seton Hall game for the final time on Saturday.Saturday: Links to a couple of special features, as well as post-game blogs on the Somerset County Tournament final and Seton Hall-South Florida.

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About Jerry Carino

Jerry Carino has covered sports for the Gannett New Jersey newspapers since 1996 and has been on the college basketball beat since 2003. A native of Old Bridge, he also teaches journalism at Kean University.

Seton Hall has to win all 3 and St. John’s needs to lose to Providence. Hopefully it will come down to that last Sunday (3/4)with Seton Hall tipping off at Noon in Louisville and St. John’s/Providence tipping off at 2pm.

We need a loud and supportive crowd on Saturday night to cheer on a win in the final home game and then to send the boys on the road with the confidence to take home the last two games and that #12 seed in the BET.

Seton Hall’s next two games are very winnable. But after seeing the way Louisville put St. John’s through the meat grinder Wednesday night, I have a hard time believing the Hall can pull out that finale.

But that’s not a knock on St. John’s–the ‘Ville is clicking on all cylinders and Pitino finally seems to have gotten Caracter to straighten up and fly right, although who knows how long that will last.

Jerry-There is NO way Linden will be able to hang with the evil empire on Saturday. We tried all of our tricks on Tuesday night–extra fouls on Robinson, bent rim down by the lockers, and they couldn’t be slowed.Best chance Linden has is if the evil empire is flying home from Marshall on JET Blue.

Darcy — Love your enthusuiam, but you can’t make a rational case for Seton Hall to win at Louisville.

Benny — Bent rim? You guys are THE BEST. Funny thing is, I half believe it. I said this to Fire last night — somewhere along the line, somebody is going to pick off Linden in the state tournament if they shoot free throws like that.

Will Louisville have a BET bye locked up by then? If so, they don’t have much to play for aside from NCAA seeding. One game is not going to impact their seed that much, if at all.

Seton Hall has been competitive all year long against teams that are better than them. I wouldn’t put this past them at all. They are due for a win against a better team. The hustle has to pay off at some point.

Louisville has streaky shooters, what happens if they are off? (and Seton Hall’s happen to be on)

Strange things happen when teams have something to play for. If Seton Hall is at 5-10, they have a ton to play for.

About this Blog

Since its launch in 2006, Hoops Haven has become a staple of the New Jersey basketball community. This is the place to find breaking news, analysis and links about college and high school basketball in the Garden State.

About the Author

Jerry Carino has covered sports for the Gannett New Jersey newspapers since 1996 and has been on the college basketball beat since 2003. A native of Old Bridge, he also teaches journalism at Kean University.Email Jerry.